The present invention relates generally to work rest supports, and more particularly to a novel work rest support assembly which finds particular application in supporting a pass-through work rest relative to a machine tool or the like in independent stand-alone relation so as to facilitate selective positioning of the pass-through work rest in three mutually perpendicular planes.
It is a common practice in the manufacture of long heavy cylindrical workpieces, such as large caliber gun barrels or tubes, to support the elongated workpieces proximate their longitudinal centers during machining, in addition to supporting their opposite ends by means of chucks or headstocks and tailstocks of the associated machine tools. For example, in lathe turning and machining of long heavy gun barrels or tubes, the advantage of supporting the barrel or tube generally centrally of its longitudinal length so as to reduce sagging is readily apparent. One technique for supporting the longitudinal center of a long heavy workpiece such as a gun tube is to employ a pass-through work rest which is positioned to provide the desired mid-length support and which allows continuous cutting or machining of the outer periphery of the workpiece by permitting a cutting tool to pass through the area supported by the work rest without interrupting the turning cycle of the associated machine tool.
Pass-through work rests of the aforementioned type are commercially available. In general, however, the known pass-through work rests are attached to associated machine tools so as to become a permanent part of the machine tool. When fixedly secured to or formed integral with a machine tool, the pass-through work rest, while generally having components adjustable to accommodate different diameter workpieces, is fixed in predetermined relation to the centerline between the headstock and tailstock of the particular machine tool and has no need for portability to accommodate different size machine tools having different floor-to-workpiece centerline dimensions.
While pass-through work rests of the aforementioned type which are attached to and form a permanent part of a specific machine tool have been found satisfactory for their intended purposes, their inability to be transferred for use with different size machine tools limits their use to the specific machine tool to which they are attached and, accordingly, adds to the cost of the associated machine tool. A need thus exists for an outboard or off machine pass-through work rest support arrangement which, while not integral with or otherwise a permanent part of an associated machine tool, enables exact positioning of an associated pass-through work rest relative to the working axis of the machine tool with which the work rest is to be employed. Such a stand-alone work rest support arrangement or assembly finds particular application with machine tools, such as lathes, of different floor to workpiece centerline heights, thus being particularly adapted for use in turning operations which require a supporting work rest intermediate the length of a heavy elongated workpiece such as a gun barrel or tube to prevent sagging.